A rally will be held at Jackie Robinson Park in Harlem on March 26, 2017 from 1pm to 5pm by the NY LGBT Coalition to support trans women of color. This coalition of organizations seek to raise awareness of this epidemic, making our
elected officials and community members aware of this crisis while seeking to educate and build allies. To date, seven trans women of color have lost their lives this year. All but one was under 35. Violence towards transgender women of color is an epidemic and one that must be addressed immediately. The New York LGBT Coalition would like to express our condolences to the families and friends of Ms. Chyna Gibson of New Orleans, Ms. Ciara McElveen of New Orleans, Ms. Keke Collier of Chicago and Ms. Jaquarrius Holland of Monroe, Louisiana.

We must be tireless in raising awareness of the ongoing epidemic of physical violence being perpetrated against transgender women of color, even as we are also engaged in protesting the political assault on the protections for transgender youth by the federal administration and other transgender rights. We call for solidarity with our transgender sisters of color. We call attention to the prejudice and discrimination many transgender women, especially those of color, experience on a daily basis, and we especially call on our allies to raise awareness by standing in solidarity with us. We seek to begin a national discussion about concrete actions we can take to protect our sisters' most basic of all human rights: the right to exist.